Pain Hurts...

Pain is an odd thing, it's very personal to each individual and you cannot know how someone else's pain really feels due to different tolerances.

I live with a level of pain most of the time, some times it's very mild and local to small areas of my body other days it's intolerable and I just want to roll up in a ball and cry... not that I've ever found that helps relieve the pain.

This week has been a painful week, I've had to resort to painkillers on a regular basis, something I try not to do very often as long term use of any medication concerns me. 

I have cervical spondylosis, a form of osteoarthritis in my neck. It was diagnosed several years ago following an MRI scan (not something I would wish to go through again and one plus to having my pacemaker fitted is that I can't have anymore MRI scans, I can only have CT scans which are so much easier to endure). Along with a number of other areas affected by arthritis (hands, feet, hips) my neck is my main problem as when it flares up it's very difficult to cope with the pain.

It doesn't take much to cause a flare up... sitting too long at a dining table on chairs which don't support my shoulders, standing too long taking photos (not that it stops me), sitting too long at my desk without taking breaks (not really conducive to writing a book, but I will bear my pain for my creativity) - nothing major, just simple everyday tasks that I have to manage right in order to reduce the impact on my neck.

Without being aware of what I did wrong last weekend I caused a serious flare up and have struggled with intense pain in my neck and head since. Pain which made me feel as if my skull would explode, the type of pain that had me laid on the floor as it was too painful to hold my head upright.

Finally today, after 5 days of pain, around 3pm, the pain lifted. When it goes it is as quick as that. I don't know what I do that makes the pain go away, it's just one minute it's there and the next my neck is pain free.

I'm looking forward to a relaxing and pain free weekend of doing nothing, just enjoying the peace in my head.